This article uses a parable to compare qualitative (interpretive) and quantitative (experimental) methods in child language research. Two hypothetical young researchers both investigate question-asking behavior of children with autism. Five different possible endings to the parable illustrate various relationships among research approaches and…

This reaction to Duchan (EC 607 918) warns against a strict dogmatic adherence to either a qualitative or quantitative research approach and argues that far more important than methodology per se are choice of research question and appropriateness of the methodology to the problem under investigation. Examples in speech-language pathology are…

Using data describing entry into preschool among children with special needs, this paper introduces the fundamental statistical quantities of event occurrence--hazard and survivor functions. The paper discusses construction of formal statistical models of event occurrence over time, predictors that can be included in hazard models, and importance…

When studying different types of returns to education, educational reforms are commonly used in the economics literature as a source of exogenous variation in education. The Swedish compulsory school reform is one example; the reform extended compulsory education throughout the country, in different municipalities at different points in time. Such…

The nature of human interaction, particularly within the context of family, is necessarily complex due to the multitude of characteristics which influence the individual's intention toward the other, as well as the characteristics and effects of interaction as a function of the co-construction of meaning between interactants. This paper delineates…

The methodology of using a mixed qualitative and quantitative research design to evaluate 16 "inclusive" preschool programs in a continuing study is detailed. The qualitative approach was used to understand the general phenomenon and integrated with more quantitative, structured, and precise measures in an iterative, sequential process to develop…

Statistics prove that being middle-aged, well educated, white, and male enhances earnings. This paper uses data from the March 1991 Current Population Survey conducted by the Bureau of the Census along with some common statistical techniques to chart the specific impact of age, education, race, and gender on earnings. It is shown that earnings…

This project examined the use of quantitative statistical models to bridge the gap between commonly available university data and knowledge for decision making. A method using a multivariate statistical model is discussed in the context of academic quality in higher education. A "problem-oriented" data base designed to study quality and…

Using multiple choice tests and a statistical method designed to identify flagrant cheaters, the authors undertook to determine (1) the magnitude of cheating on take-home and open-book exams; (2) whether the amount of cheating varied according to three types of examinations (closed-book, open-book or take-home); and (3) if cheating was affected by…

A new procedure is proposed for developing, evaluating, and implementing routing procedures for use with individualized instruction programs. An item response theory model for describing the relationship between performance on sequentially arranged units of instruction, and procedures for using the model to evaluate sequential relationships and…

This paper reports the results of an investigation into the relationship between librarians' status (i.e., librarians having faculty status or librarians lacking such status) and the organizational structure of the college library. The analysis was conducted within the conceptual framework of two organizational models: the bureaucratic and the…

Practicality is the hallmark of this physical education research manual. It focuses on applications with which investigators in this field typically are concerned; numerous examples clarify these points. All phases of research are covered, beginning with writing mechanics and style and a blueprint of the chapters that comprise the creditable…

A new approach to assessing unexpected differential item performance (item bias or item fairness) is introduced and applied to the item responses of different subpopulations of Scholastic Aptitude Test (SAT) takers. The essential features of the standardization approach are described. The primary goal of the standardization approach is to control…

Stakeholder surveys are advocated as a panacea for many problems of needs assessment evaluation research utilizing surveys. Stakeholders are individuals who have a "stake" in the outcome of a needs assessment evaluation. Stakeholder surveys are appropriate for the predesign phase of a program evaluation. The surveys are often referred to…

The classification problem in educational testing is a decision problem. One must assign subjects to one of several available treatments on the basis of test scores, where the success of each treatment is measured by a different criterion. Examples of classification decisions include individualized instruction, counseling, and clinical settings.…